The Bookshop on the Corner
Ratings69
Average rating3.4
It will have you longing for Scotland, for books, and for fresh, organic food. I enjoyed this book, apart from feeling a little irritated at the main character's snarky, do-gooder attitude. I like the emphasis on community and living away from the rat race.
I liked this story and enjoyed reading it.
As far as Chick Lit goes, this one is quite good (in my ignorant opinion).
There was an amazing environment, interesting and inspiring premise, and several complex storylines
But I utterly disliked and couldn't understand the behavior of the main character at a few points. And the romance was just.... weird.
At this point, I'm just glad, that I finished this book. It started off great and then just became more boring and annoying. I guess we've drifted apart with the main character at some point. One more mention of sad puppy eyes and I throw my kindle out the window.
I wanted to love this more because the author is adorable and her introduction made me love her. It was a little too contemporary romance for me personally. I love a good book about a book lover, but it was a bit just okay for me. Though there were some parts that made me laugh out loud, I felt myself thinking that parts of the story could have been explored and weren't. Maybe they will be in the sequels. Not sure I'll read them though.
I hovered between a 3 and 4 star rating for this book. I really liked it until the ending. The ending of the story felt rushed, underdeveloped, and underwent a tone shift that did not fit with the feel of the rest of the book. But until the ending, the book was filled with all things I love: books and the power of stories, beautiful natural scenery, and Scotland!
A light, slice of life romance with a side helping of book love. I will admit to being one of those people who dream of ‘leaving it all behind' to go do something adventurous, and this book definitely catered to that side of me (don't worry, my realistic side is too strong to actually go through with it). Add to that the fact that it was also about books and Scotland and it was right up my alley. I rather preferred the slice of life parts of the book to the romance, which was okay, but not fantastic. There is a lot of love for books and storytelling peppered throughout, which I appreciated quite a bit, being a huge book nerd myself and Scotland was the perfect setting. The story isn't profound or about to change your life, but it felt like a nice sweet daydream. I appreciate that it was just light and fun.
How can you not like a book about books!? Everything about this book was delightful, especially after two heavy books!
Talk about your wish fulfillment fantasies - girl gets laid off from library job, moves to beautiful rural Scotland, opens a mobile book shop van, and finds hunky Scottish farmer. Nina's growth from socially anxious meek mouse to successful business owner and important community member is endearing and satisfying. As much as she loves books, she realizes they can't be her entire life. I just wish Colgan didn't make all of her so-called heroes so laconic and grumpy. So ignore the romance, and just enjoy the story of a woman finding herself.
Just the right mix of sweet and interesting, with a strong female lead, not often seen in romances. A romance for people who don't like the genre.
Started out well as a nice story about a librarian following her dream to open her own book shop (on wheels), but the last third had too much romance and drama.
Ah, books about books. Is there any greater love letter to readers out there, than a book about someone who revolves their whole life around books? I think not. Which is why The Bookshop on the Corner was such an enjoyable read. There's so much wrapped up in Nina's story, but at the heart of it all is the ardent love of books.
When Nina is laid off from her readers' advisory job at the library, she turns that passion towards something even more amazing. She moves away from a bustling city, to the quiet countryside. I admit to grinning like a fool when Nina opened her “bookshop-on-wheels”. What a way to spend a day. Matching potential readers with their perfect books, and wandering the Scottish countryside. Can I please trade places with her? What a pleasant way to live out your days.
As if a book love wasn't enough of a reason to read this book though, there's a romance brewing as well. A bit nervous about anything romantic, after her bad luck with men, Nina's worry about diving headfirst into love is understandable. Which makes her slow decent into smitten territory absolutely adorable. It's hard not to fall head over heels right along with her, and it endeared me to her immensely.
This book might be a little predictable, but it's that kind of story that really just pulls you in. It's all about life as a journey, and how we really never know what is going to happen next. It's about embracing change. It's an enjoyable read, and one that you can easily devour on a porch swing, or in a hammock
Plain and simple, this is a book that deserves a space on your reading list. I, for one, know that I'll be hunting down more Jenny Colgan if this is what I have to look forward to.
Nina has troubles. She's just lost her job. She's lost her home. She doesn't know what to do next.
And then she gets a crazy idea. What would happen if she bought a ramshackle van, loaded it up with books, and set up a portable bookshop?
She does and it's wildly successful and lots of other absurdly improbable things happen but it's all good because we want it to happen; we want her to find happiness and change the world one book at a time.
It's not realistic fiction but it's a nice summer read.